This is lovely stuff in the glass, drumming up memories of the world-class Westmalle Tripel and other massively headed Belgian-style tripels and/or golden ales. 20 pours deeply golden with a good bit of haze present. That bright, white foam atop said nectar takes up a sizable portion of the glass, leaving behind a peristent ring of lacing. Everything we’d want to see. Throughout, this feels like a way bigger beer than the 6.6% suggests. There’s...

The dark specialty-malt additions seem to impact first, offering up well-roasted elements via chocolate and coffee notes, a nice undercurrent of a vanilla-chocolate interplay, and then, of course, hops: bright, citrusy, herbaceous bittering qualities that come through in surplus. It’s a potent aroma, showing off both that depth of malt character and just how many hops they managed to stuff into this thing. It comes across as piney at times...

We’re always excited when we receive a pilsner to sample from the style’s ancestral home; the Czechs just seem to nail these brews more often than not. Praga is no exception, and has hardware to back it up including a Gold Medal from the World Beer Championships. Presenting a deep golden color with crystal clarity and an eager, billowy cap of foam, this pils makes a good first impression. On the nose, look for bold, classic Czech Saaz noble...

This Belgian Blonde Ale offers a golden-amber hue on the pour, topped by a robust head which drops some lace as it recedes. The aroma of this European Beer Star Competition Silver Medal winner really drew us in with prominent fruity notes reminiscent of mild tangerine, lemon, stone fruits, and a touch of apple. Some moderate hop spice pops through as well. On the palate, we were struck by Kwaremont’s round, supple, and creamy-smooth feel...

This winter seasonal pours an impenetrable deep, dark brownish-black with a cap of rich-looking, persistent foam. Oats are often used in stouts to contribute body and silky smoothness, and these qualities are plenty evident in this satisfying brew. Expect the complex array of malts used by Saratoga in this stout to pay dividends with big roasted notes of dark chocolate and well-roasted coffee forming a flavorful core, backed by secondary...

Saratoga's IPA pours a crystal clear golden copper color capped by plenty of foam that leaves some lacing as it drops. Look for some soft floral and citrus Cascade hop aromas, bolstered by a pleasant, almost vegetal, woody-earthy character that is classic Fuggles. Notes of caramelized malts with hints of toffee provide an underpinning. On the palate, we found the big 60 IBUs were not shy, but were still balanced well by the beer's malty...

Sprecher has done an admirable job of producing a traditional Bavarian-style weissbier, which is somewhat of a rarity among American brewers who often put out various “pale wheat ales” that offer none of the characteristics of a true German wheat beer. Hefe-weiss, meaning literally “yeast-white,” is a reference to the very cloudy appearance of these beers due to the yeast left in suspension. Also known as hefeweizen, meaning “yeast wheat,”...

Sprecher’s Black Bavarian is brewed in the German Schwarzbier (“Black Beer”) style, and is one of the more robust and hearty versions we’ve seen. On the pour, expect a very, very dark brown color with reddish flashes and a fluffy head. In the aroma department, notes of brown bread and chocolate come to the fore, with some nice toasty notes and an impression of moderate sweetness. We also were intrigued by a certain subtle underlying dimension...